By Christy Cabrera Chirinos
HurricaneSports.com

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It was, for Samantha Orndorff, the experience of a lifetime.
 
Last spring, Orndorff – a University of Miami junior majoring in biology and marine science – found herself out in the Florida Straits aboard a research vessel with classmates and professors conducting the kind of work most undergraduate students never have the opportunity to do.
 
Together, they deployed a variety of instruments that allowed them to collect samples of ocean water from varying depths. They examined the flow of currents. Studied zooplankton, larval fish and more. And when the work on the deck was finished, students and professors returned to the cabin inside the F.G. Walton Smith and began the process of analyzing all the data they’d collected, Orndorff couldn’t help but smile.
 
“There were really good conversations being fostered in there. It was like, ‘Okay, we just did this. Now what do we do with it?’ It was really fun,” Orndorff said. “All the things we’d learned about in class but had never really gotten to do ourselves, we were doing. So many of us have dreamed of being marine scientists and have these ideal visions of working out on research vessels for long durations of time and collecting data. We really got to see what that’s like.”
 
And to think – that memorable day for so many students in Miami’s renowned Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science was made possible in large part because of some pretty unique football jerseys.
 
Last fall, when the Hurricanes football team took the field for their season opener against LSU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, players wore the first-ever football uniforms made from repurposed and upcycled materials pulled from the ocean.
 
The uniforms were designed by adidas – Miami’s official apparel partner – in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, a nonprofit organization that works to address major threats to oceans across the globe. Once the game ended, the special-edition uniform jerseys were auctioned, with the proceeds benefitting The School – particularly students like Orndorff and sophomore Luke Arends, who were able to conduct research on the F.G. Walton Smith because of the money raised by Hurricanes football fans.
 
“That kind of opportunity provides our students with a strong motivation to continue studying hard and helps them establish that link with the ocean,” said Roni Avissar, the Dean of the Rosenstiel School. “I think it had a tremendous impact. Not everyone has that kind of experience of being at sea and the vast majority of our students had never had the experience of going on a research vessel. It was a fantastic opportunity and I’m really happy that we’ve been able to provide that. It’s a program we want to continue because it had such a dramatic impact on our students.”
 
The Hurricanes and adidas are working to make sure the students’ work continues, too.
 
When Miami hosts Virginia on Friday night in a nationally televised Coastal Division showdown, the Hurricanes will wear their new Parley uniforms, which will again, be available for fans to purchase postgame through an online auction.
 
Again, the funds raised will benefit the Rosenstiel School. Again, Miami students will benefit.

WATCH: RSMAS Research at Sea Experience
 
“It means everything, knowing that people outside of our department at UM, especially the people from the football team and adidas, who carry such prestigious names for themselves, support the work being done here every day,” said Arends, who is majoring in marine science and meteorology. “It allows for students to take action and get involved in the cutting-edge work being done and allows for the university to gather valuable data that can be used for years to come. Without their support, this research cruise that leads to so many other opportunities, would not exist.”
 
Added Orndorff, “Being an aspiring scientist, I like to look at so many things from an ecological perspective. At UM, so many of our interests and what we’re able to pursue relies on each other. Arguably, the most esteemed endeavor for many UM students is UM football. To see that that trickled down into our academics as well, and knowing they support a cause that extends beyond the confines of our university, is huge. There’s a culture of belong here at UM and we all support each other. Everything, from academics to athletics, is integrated and you really can pursue anything here. That’s really cool.”
 
That the soon-to-be-auctioned uniforms are made from upcycled ocean plastic while students continue studying the effects plastics are having on the oceans only makes the project that much more meaningful, professors and students said.

“This is a game-changer,” said Kim Popendorf, an assistant professor at the Rosenstiel School. “And it’s such a fun full-circle picture. One of the lovely blends of this story is that one of the things the students get to see and that we’ll be sampling this time is microplastics in the ocean. Plastics in the ocean are having a really huge impact, so the fact that these jerseys are part of cleaning up and collecting that material is significant. You’re helping train people and inform them about the ocean, but these jerseys are a product of helping clean up the ocean, too. It’s a great benefit.”

Said Director of Athletics Blake James, “The Miami Hurricanes are thrilled to once again partner with adidas and Parley to wear uniforms made from repurposed Parley materials. The City of Miami – and the University of Miami  – are forever linked to the ocean. This partnership enables our student-athletes to help support the tremendous education and research efforts of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, one of the world’s foremost centers for oceanographic and atmospheric research.”